I lock all the rooms on the first and second floors, and turn off the electric switch for the indoor elevator.

The purpose of these actions is to prevent him from knowing which room I’m hiding in. Of course, these efforts may be meaningless, but they still give me comfort when I’m scared out of my mind.

Maybe he’s not that powerful yet, and needs to observe with his eyes like a human.

There is the faint sound of a door being opened downstairs. It seems as if it takes him only seconds to open one door after another, my locks useless to him.

I don’t know if he will notice that I’m hiding in the attic on the third floor, lying tremblingly on the wooden door and listening to what is going on beneath.

Door after door opens, like a countdown of my life. I know this won’t last long, so I desperately press and hold the power button on my phone, turning it off and then on again.

My phone lights up in the dark, then goes out again, and there is still no signal, even for emergency calls.

I feel like a lamb trapped in the deep mountains. In the dark night, with crises rising and falling around me, there is a beast staring at me and salivating.

“Wen Mingcheng…..”

When we were teeneagers, he told me that he would stay with me forever. When we got married, he told me that he would stay with me for the rest of his life. He told me that death could not separate us, but then he tricked me into going on a honeymoon vacation and now left me alone in this situation.

Good for you.

I misjudged you.

But what should I do? I still love you and I hope that you will come back to save me.

I’m so cheap.

The fear, helplessness, and grief of being deceived by my lover overwhelms me. It is like a nightmare, and it would be nice if I could wake up.

I hope to wake up to a quiet night, with my lover lying next to me. He will go to work the next day as usual as I paint at home. This is just a bizarre nightmare I’m having until midnight.

But the sound of footsteps climbing up the stairs tell me that it is all real. The sound of men’s leather shoes on the marble floor is particularly clear in the night.

I had personally selected these leather shoes for their sound, which had previously been called a symbol of masculine elegance and charm.

And now, it seems like a death knell.

His voice comes up from downstairs without any weakening, and is clearly transmitted to my ears on the third floor: “I’m on the second floor, A-Zhen.”

I cover my mouth, not daring to make a sound.

The sound of doors being opened on the second floor is clearer, and I can almost hear him twisting the doorknobs into pieces.

Listening to his footsteps, I know that he just stands at the door for a moment before walking to the next room. The search is very fast.

The footsteps are getting closer.

“You haven’t eaten for a day. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Come out, and I will prepare whatever you want to eat.”

While he is talking, he breaks a few more doors while still trying to persuade me in a gentle voice.

“After eating, I will help you take a bath, and then I will hold you as you sleep peacefully. The sun will still rise the next day, and everything will still be as usual, won’t it?”

“I’m very sad that you are hiding like this and refusing to see me. I’m going to be very angry.”

He walks to the bottom of the third floor.

Just under the wooden door where I’m lying.

My heart is in my throat.

 I get up covertly and move back bit by bit, staring straight at the door. My heart is pounding so hard that it almost makes it difficult for me to breathe.

And at this moment, a bit of moonlight suddenly falls gently on my arm from behind.

I am stunned for a moment, and look back.

Only then do I realize that there is a small window behind me. There are dark clouds outside just now, and it is just as dark indoors, but I didn’t even notice. 

This small discovery instantly makes me ecstatic. 

Having a window means I can escape.

Although this is the third floor, I can go to the roof to ask for help. There are 24/7 security guards patrolling outside at all times.

There is a glimmer of hope!

I struggle to get up, not knowing when the being behind me might suddenly push open the attic door.

I even hear him walking up the spiral staircase to the third floor.

However, although the window doesn’t have a lock, it is rusty since it hasn’t been used in a long time. While I’m trying to open this rusty window that hasn’t been opened all year round, I turn back and stare at the attic door.

I almost bite my lip in anxiety. 

But at this moment, it seems that god intends to save me.

There is suddenly a bang on the second floor, as if something has fallen to the ground.

After I hear this, the sound of footsteps climbing up the stairs abruptly stops.

Then, I hear a sound like a strong wind heading toward the second floor.

Listening carefully, I find that the speed is very fast, and suddenly realize that it should be footsteps that are so fast that they almost overlap.

This realization instantly makes my hair stand on end.

This is definitely not human speed.

I almost desperately try to open the window.

Finally, I don’t know which rusty screw I turned, but I finally push the window open.

Outside the window, my neighbor’s family is having dinner on the balcony. A little boy is holding a toy airplane in his hands, while the man holds him and looks at the scenery outside, occasionally pointing at the sky. From this angle, I should be completely visible to them.

I try my best to wave to them while struggling to get through the small window.

The “person” seems to have been drawn away by the sound coming from the second floor, and I don’t hear footsteps coming up again.

This fills my heart with hope again. I try hard to get half of my body out the window. The man opposite seems to see me and puts his son down, turning in my direction…..

I feel surprised for a moment and raise my hand, trying to wave to him desperately.

But in the next moment, I suddenly feel that something isn’t right.

My…..

My ankle…..I try to pull back my leg.

My ankle is being grasped by a hand!!!

In the next second, I look back in horror.

In the darkness, a long, cold white hand holds my exposed ankle. Looking back along the arm, the man is half kneeling, half lying on the floor in the narrow space, his eyes deep but very bright and sharp.

He gives me a toothy grin. “How pitiful. You got caught.”

In the next moment, he exerts great force and drags me back into the attic.

Without my support, the window slams shut.

“Ahhhh! Don’t—-”

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 11 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 13